John v



(No Model) J. V. STOUT.

ELEGTRIG TEMPERATURE REGULATOR.

No. 448,274. Patented Mar. 1'7, 1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN V. STOUT, OF EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC TEMPERATURE-REGULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 448,274, dated March 17, 1891.

Application filed January 31, 1890- Serial No. 338,763- (No model.) A

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN V. STOUT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Easton, in the county of Northampton and State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Electrical Regulator for Temperature, &c., fully set forth in the following specification, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to that class of devices in which a thermostatic circuit-closer is placed at the point where it is desired to keep the temperature within certain predetermined limits, said circuit-closer being in a circuit leading to the magnet controlling the heating medium. My invention is not, however, confined to this particular use, since it may be applied in other ways, as will be hereinafter described.

The object of myinvention is to provide a circuit-controller whereby the danger of waste of battery is avoided, the contacts are kept clean by rubbing against each other, and the operation is rendered certain, and, further, to provide a simple and efficient arrangement of circuits for operating the system, all as hereinafter fully set forth.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a general view of the system. Fig. 2 shows a detail of the circuit-controller.

The apparatus at the left of Fig. 1 is placed at the point where the temperature is to be maintained within predetermined limits. The apparatus at the right of Fig. 1 is placed at any suitable point to control the dampers of the heating furnace or valves in steam, water, hot air, or other pipes, or in any other way to regulate the heating medium.

In the first-mentioned apparatus, upon a suitable base, is mounted a clock-work, the motive power of which is kept normally in an active condition for the purpose of actuating one of the movable parts of the circuitcontroller when released by the energization of magnet G, mounted on the same base and provided with a pivoted armature II and escapement 1.

2 is an ordinary fly or speed-regulator for the clock-work. This motor-driven part of the circuit-controller consists in a plate 17 on an arbor 3 of the motor, with three radial arms symmetrically arranged-that is, one

hundred and twenty degrees apartor a different number of arms symmetrically ar ranged and carrying, preferably, in upwardlyprojecting ears adjustable contact-points h g. The co-operating part of the circuit-controller comprises a thermostatic bar or coil 4, which is insulated from the frame of the apparatus and is connected to line. This thermostatic device is composed of two metals of different expansibility, as is well understood, or of any other suitable expansible device. As clearly shown atf, in Fig. 2, the ends of the U-shaped terminal of the thermostatic bar project beyond the main body of said terminal, and it is this partf which preferably forms the electrical contact with the screw 6, 7L, or g, as the case may be, when the temperature rises or falls beyond the predetermined limit.

5 5 are mere mechanical limiting-stops for bar t, and are never in the electrical circuit.

A A is a second magnet, preferably, though not necessarily, mounted on the same base with the parts before mentioned. This I term a shunting-magnet, since at certain times it shunts the thermostatic contact. Between the two cores of this magnet the wire is connected with the yoke, as at E. "When the armature is attracted, it makes electrical contact with the cores, thus closing a shuntcircuit through the wire 0. Between magnets A, A and O is a branch 70, leading from wire i to frame G of magnet C.

At some convenient point in the main circuit 7 7 is placed a battery B or other source of current-supply. This is preferably near the valve-controlling apparatus, as shown in the drawings. From the battery a wire extends to magnet l), the armature 8 of which controls the clock-work escapcment 9 and shuntingswitch I .l, through the medium of angle-lerer l0, rigidly connected with the armature. The shunting-switch comprises, in any suitable form, first, a contact, as I, connected by a branch 0 to the main circuit between the battery and high-resistance magnet D, which contactin its condition of rest maintains the shunt-circuit open, and, second, a metallic co-operating part or element, as J, preferably connected with the frame of the clock-work, and thence through wire (.Z to the other side of the main circuit; The main circuit is connected to the m agnet-yoke between the coils of the magnet, as at 11.

12 is a connecting-rod extending from the crank 13, driven by the clock-work to the valve-handle 14 in the pipe 15.

I will now describe the operation of the system set forth. The system being in its normal condition, as shown in Fig. 1, suppose that the temperature rises so as to expand the thermostatic bar t and throw its end against contact 6. This closes the main circuit through magnets A, A 0, and D, in series, but magnet D and coil A are preferably wound to a higher resistance than A and O, and the armatures and retractingsprings are soadjusted that thecurrent. on line when the three magnets are in circuit will move armatures F and 8, but will not move armature H. The first effect of closing the circuit at- 6 will therefore be to attract armatures F and 8. The first-named armature, by contact with the magnet-cores, completes a shunt around the contacts 6 f, as follows: From point E, through the core and armature F, and thence by wire I) to the other side of main circuit 7. This circuit also removes the resistance of .coil A from the line. The shunt by cutting out the thermostatic contacts savesthem from burning. It also insures a more perfect circuit for the energization of magnet 1), since the contact at e f maybe slight and maintains the circuit closed until the completion of the operation. The coils A A? need not be wound to different resistances. They would operate in the same manner as described if wound alike; but in actual use it is found best to wind them as first described. \Vhile the magnet A A is advantageous in practice, it maybe omitted without rendering the system inoperative. In that case the wire i would be connected directly to plate 3, as shown by dotted line 18, and wire 76 would be omitted. Simultaneously with the above operation, or practically so, is the movement of armature 8, which releases detent 9 of the motor at the furnace orother point, and the clock-work begins to move and brings the main surface or periphery of the disk 16 under the lower arm 10. This renders it impossible for the clock to be stopped until it has made a halfrevolution.that is, until the second notch in the disk comes under arm 10and by this half-revolution the valve-arm let is raised, closing the valve and shutting off the heatingmedium. Theheatingmedium'beingthus shut off, thetemperature at the thermostat soon begins to fall and the thermostatic bar begins to move in the opposite direction. As contact J, which is preferably on the same shaft as disk 16, but in a different vertical plane, revolves, it comes under contact-spring I. This closes a shunt around magnet-D, as follows: The c 0, spring I, conducting-plate J, frame of clock-work, and wire cl, back to the opposite side of the main circuit. This movement of bar 4 in the direction of arrowv 00. By moving eout of the path of movement of bar 4, all strain to the apparatus and the permanent dis-arrangement of the tension of the thermostatic bar due to said continued movement is avoided. To prevent an extreme movement of the thermostatic bar from any cause, I place on either side at suitable distances the mechanical stops 5 5, which are generally adjusted to allow a range of motion due to a change of temperature of from to 80. Since the movement above described occurs while 6 and f are together, e will sweep across f, and. thus by friction keep the surfaces free from dust, bright, and in good condition for electrical contact. already set forth of the contact-plate at the same time that it moves e from the path of movement of the bar in the direction of arrow 56 moves g into the pathof the bar when The movement it moves in the opposite direction-that is, in p the direction of the arrow y-which occurs when the temperature falls toward'the minimum limit, owing to shutting off the heating medium, as already described, or turning on a cold blast, or from any other cause.

contact-plate to bar 4, and to line, the contact at cf not having been yetbroken. This cuts out magnet A A and allows armature F to drop to its normal position, thus opening the shunt which was closed by said armature. At the same timethe armature releases the clock-work, breaking the circuit at e f whereupon armature H is retracted, by the force of its spring, and the clock-work is arrested at the close of one revolution. The system is now in condition to operate in the same way for turning on heat when bar t moves in the direction of arrow y to bringf in contact with g.

\Vith the circuit controlling apparatus which I have described I employbut one circuit and source of electrical current both for the opening and the closing of the valve, and this circuit is continuous, except at the circuit-controller.

It will be evident that the element at instead of being a thermostatic bar, may be an ordinary pressure-gage or other device which is thrown in one direction or the other by the increase or decrease of any force applied to it, the intensity of which force can be regu- ICC lated. It will also be evident that the system would operate to open and close the valve once if contact h were omitted, and it is evident that any odd number of arms may be employed for continuous operation of the apparatus, the gearing being modified according to the number of arms used.

In my application No. $38,762 is shown apparatus having certain features in common with this case, but embracing also additional features and different circuit-connections. In that case also is a generic claim to my circuit-controller and a generic claim to a system of the character herein described having a single circuit and a source of current, and the above features are not claimed herein.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1.. The combination, in a regulator, of a thermostaticbarhavingconductingterminals, a revoluble plate having co-operating contacts, and means for turning said plate,Whereby one of said (ac-operating contacts rubs across one ot' said terminals and is carried out of the path of movement of the bar and another contact is brought into the path of the bar on its return movement, substantially as described.

2. The combination, in a regulator, of an expansible device terminating in two conducting-arms, a revoluble plate between said arms having co-operating contacts, a circuit connected to the bar and to the plate, and a motor for moving said plate, substantiallyas described.

3. The combination, in a circuit-controller, of an expansible member connected to the circuit and terminating in arms each having a contact-point, and a revoluble member having co-operating contacts symmetrically ar ranged and connected to the opposite terminal of the circuit, substantially as described.

4. The combination, in a circuit-controller, of an expansible member terminating in an electrical contact which is extended to one side of the main body of said member, a movable co-operating contact, and means for moving the same out of the path of movement, substantially as described.

5. The combination, in a circuit-controller, of an expansible member having electrical contact-points connected to a circuit, a revoluble member provided with co-operating contacts, a motor for revolving the same, and an escapement which by its movement permits a partial revolution of the revoluble member, substantially as described.

6. The combination, in a circuit-controller, of an expansible member connected to the circuit, a co-operating movable member connected to a second terminal of the circuit, and a mechanical stop independent of the circuit for each side of the expansible member, substantially as described.

7. The combination, in a regulating system, of a thermostatic circuit-controller, a regulator, a motor therefor, a circuit including a battery and three magnets, one magnet being at the regulator and controlling the motor and two of the magnets being adjacent to the circuit-controller, a shunt to the thermostatic circuit-controller controlled by one magnet, and a mechanical motor operatively connected to one contact of the circuit-controller and controlled by the third magnet, substantially as described.

8. The combination, in a regulating system, of a circuit-controller having a movable member, a motor operatively connected thereto, a magnet and detent armature, a second magnet of higher resistance than the first and in series therewith, a shunt, and a circuitcloser therefor for removing resistance from the line, substantially as described.

9. The combination, in a regulating system, of a circuit-controller comprising an pansible member and a co-operating revoluble member, of a shunt for the contact, said shunt being closed by a magnet in the line, substantially as described.

10. The combination of a motor, a releasing-magnet, armature, a detent, a second magnet in series with the first, an armature therefor which is more readily attracted than the first armature, a circuit closed by the second armature, and a shunt around the second magnet closed by the armature of the first magnet, substantially as described.

11. The combination, in a regulating system, of a valve controlling the heating medium, a motor foropening and closing said valve, a detent for the motor, a magnet, an armature for moving said detent, and a circuitcloser on the motor-shaft, one member of the circuit-closer being connected to the main circuit between the battery and detent-magnet, and the other member being connected to the circuit on the opposite side of said magnet, substantially as described.

This specification signed and witnessed this 29th day of January, 1890.

- JOHX V. STOUT.

Witnesses:

CHARLES M. CATLIN, W. PELZER. 

